let’s talk about purple

Posted on Posted in book reviews/events, designing, yarn and dyeing

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erica has been urging me to write about the background to the new purple knitting club we’re offering and i merrily agreed; a week ago, it sounded like great blog fodder. but i have to admit that over the last two days, i’ve had a hard time coming up with anything to say—i mean, the idea pretty much speaks for itself, haha!

anneOMA_plums

purple is a color that i like and that i wear well—these days, it makes the most of my gray/white hair color and pale olive skin tones. but i’m not really a purple fanatic—i have an even deeper affection for greens and gold, which used to be “my colors” when my hair was brown.

leaving
leaving

i was, however, quickly schooled by (some of) my knitspot family that purple was indeed not a color at all, but a concept, an obsession, a  lifestyle. people who love purple are well, passionate. ok actually, there isn’t a word to describe the grandness of scale that a person’s love for purple can achieve, but it’s big.

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it was obvious that the most popular chapters in our fall in full color clubs were those that revoked around purple—the first being echo of bells, which we knit with a mink/cashmere yarn blend back in december, 2011. the leftover yarn skeins got sold in the blink of an eye, leaving many clubbies clamoring for more. i jokingly said to david and erica, “ha, we should do a purple-only club!”.

david nodded sagely and erica said, “you wouldn’t”. of course it’s beyond my control to walk away from a dare, so the only answer to that was, “i would. and i will“.

(and in my mind i said, and i ain’t stopping at purple neither.)

yes, it’s no secret that knitters love purple—ask any dyer you know; it’s the most popular yarn color. so why not have a club that indulges that passion! we know dyers—lots of them. let’s ask some of our favorites to pull out all the stops and show us their best purples. what’s not to love??

just for fun, i went through my photo archives to pull out all the purple yarn photos i have on hand; i thought you’d enjoy a little pre-club excitement.

these are examples of yarns i’ve been sent over the years by the wonderful hand dyers i’ve had the good fortune to work with—some of them have been knit into designs and projects and some are still waiting their turn. if they inspire you as they do me, you can see an even bigger set of luscious purple yarn photos in the flicker album i made—take a walk down a purple memory lane.

of course not everyone is so single minded about color; many of us have a more temperate attraction to purple, among other colors we enjoy and this club is for each and every one of us. have no fear that this club is parade of royal, radiant, vivid purples—no way. we will explore the gamut from gunmetal to plum to heather to lavender, with some mixes and some real surprises.

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the yarns will also range in weight from lace to heavy DK and we’ll knit projects from them that are designed to make the most of both the color and the character of the fiber. designs will include a range of seasonal accessories that might make great gifts, if you didn’t want to keep them all for yourself. of course, smart clubbies go with the double-dip yarn option or yarn add-on so they can have their purple cake and eat it too (triple dippers will have to make special arrangements with david, but i’m sure as always, he’ll be happy to accommodate whatever level of desire will suit you).

as i said earlier, i like to wear purple because it looks  good with my coloring, so in the process of putting this post together, i began to wonder how that fact influenced my choices in design samples—did my portfolio have a crazy-big representation of purples?

 

when we combed through and came up with a list, i found that while i did indeed have some lovely hand knits in the purple family, they only represent about ten percent of the entire portfolio i have knit up—just about the percentage one single color family should have, if you kept things even-steven among all the secondary colors and some neutrals.

woodcutters toque
woodcutters toque

curious to know more or to get a bit of a preview of what a knitspot club is like? click here for FAQs about the club or here to sign up for a membership. that’s also the link you can share with anyone who asks what you want for mothers day, wink; we now have a handy gift membership option that makes it super easy.

you are very welcome to visit our ravelry knitspot in full color clubhouse any time to hang out with clubbies and take a peek at the discussion threads. they are the best—welcoming, fun, and warm, you will find yourself right at home there.

caïssa
caïssa

and i hope you’ll join us for a fun foray into a total one-color experience—yes, it’s a different sort of club and bound to be fun times.

14 thoughts on “let’s talk about purple

  1. One of the things I fell in love with in the first FIFC Book I bought (2012, I think?) was the chapter openings with the photo patchwork takes on that month’s color. This post brings all that back to me. I’m in for the Purple club of course, but I have my fingers crossed for a future Green club and other color focused clubs as well. Thanks for the gorgeous photos!

  2. Be still my beating heart! This is going to be both fun and exciting!!!

  3. I am hyperventilating here Anne. So much purply gorgeousness in one post! To say that I am excited about this club is the understatement of the year. Wish I could double dip, but I know the packages wouldn’t make it through customs!!!

  4. I’ve always liked purple and all five granddaughters always say get me purple. Bring on the purple.

  5. Lovely post and you look amazing in purple!! I’m thrilled to be a part of “the purple gang”!!! Can’t wait to see what you have chosen for us all!!

  6. I have some purple clothes but now that I think about it I tend to wear them a lot. Wow, sign me up!

  7. Reminds me of this famous poem:

    Warning

    When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
    With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
    And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
    And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
    I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
    And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
    And run my stick along the public railings
    And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
    I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
    And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
    And learn to spit.

    You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
    And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
    Or only bread and pickle for a week
    And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

    But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
    And pay our rent and not swear in the street
    And set a good example for the children.
    We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

    But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
    So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
    When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

    Jenny Joseph

  8. Omg! You are definitely wearing down my resistance–I love any color as long as it’s purple. You just have to keep chipping away at my resolve to knit from stash, don’t ya?

  9. In my youth, I hated purple, would never be seen wearing it and walked away from anything to do with purple. Now, as I’ve matured, I’ve come to admire and appreciate purple for it’s beauty. I’m what you call a fussy purple lover. I don’t love all shades of purple but must admit that the ones you’ve posted pictures of today, really wet my appetite and of all things, I’m wearing a purple sweater today as well. LOL

    I also immediately fell hard for the club and did a DD so I could enjoy purple in all it’s beauty. I figured if it was a shade I didn’t care for, it would be gifted but if I loved it, I would be greedy and claim it as mine.

    I’m so looking forward to this club and can’t wait to see what you have in store for all of us.

  10. The single-hue club is a great idea! Smart to kick it off with purple for maximum excitement, too. Now I’m looking forward to the “All Reds” club, and “World of Green”, “Blue Universe”, and. . .

  11. I too find myself wearing more and more purple as I’ve gone grey. I even added a purple streak to my hair. Fun to have a fiber club focused on it.

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